Jim Pelarske

Age Group Ace

At 5-foot-6 and 155 pounds, Jim Pelarske does not fit the mold of the elite distance runner. Most standout runners his height are 25-35 pounds lighter. "Yeah, I'm kind of on the bulky side," says Pelarske, a 51-year-old insurance claims adjuster, originally from St. Cloud, MN.

But Pelarske's "bulk" clearly doesn't anchor him when he's running, as evidenced by his 2:41:54 age-division victory in Grandma's Marathon last June. Nor did it stop him from setting a new Illinois state record for the 50-54 age group of 43:09 for 12K.

"I just started training in January, and it usually takes 18 to 24 months to get in top shape, so I think there's room for improvement," says Pelarske, explaining that he gave up the sport during his early 40s because his asthma condition kept "kicking in" and "shutting down" his lungs whenever he tried to train hard.

At St. Cloud Technical High School, Pelarske won the 1969 state cross country championship and ran a 9:23 2M on the track. At North Dakota State, he was all-conference in cross country and track, but he gave up the sport after transferring to St. Cloud State University, where he earned his degree in Public Relations. "I was having a real problem then, but I didn't know what was causing it," Pelarske says. "It wasn't until about ten years ago that I realized it was asthma, and then it wasn't until recently that I found a medication that worked."

Pelarske did make a comeback during his late 30s and early 40s, recording some pretty impressive times, including post-40 times of 32:14 for 10K, 1:10:15 for a half-marathon, and 2:26:33 in the Boston Marathon. It was during this time that the asthma was finally diagnosed. He attempted another comeback at age 45, ran a few races, but threw in the towel again due to the restrictions placed on him by the asthma. "I tried every medication in the world, but none of them worked," he adds.

Needing a goal or "something to focus on" last January, and realizing that the new medication seemed to be working, Pelarske set his sights on Grandma's. Although he had not raced or trained for some five years, he had done some easy running with his wife Sharron before starting to train for Grandma's. "I was just trying to do something to keep the waistline down," he explains. "It was not training at all, just a few miles at eight- to nine-minute mile pace."

After starting back gradually, Pelarske had his mileage up to 75-85 by April, before cutting back to 50-55 miles and concentrating on building strength for Grandma's. "My training now is about the same as it was when I was younger, less a few miles, and obviously a little slower, but my motivation is as high as ever," he offers. "If I can keep the asthma under control, I should remain competitive in my age group. I feel I won't be back in top shape until I'm close to 52." The formula seems to be working: Pelarske’s success continued at the Chicago Marathon, where he ran 2:28:28 for first in the 50-54 age group.